1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to filament assemblies for securing tissue to bone and more particularly to adjustable tensioning of tissue independent of anchor fixation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common injury, especially among athletes, is the complete or partial detachment of tendons, ligaments or other soft tissues from bone. Tissue detachment may occur during a fall, by overexertion, or for a variety of other reasons. Surgical intervention is often needed, particularly when tissue is completely detached from its associated bone. Currently available devices for tissue attachment include screws, staples, suture anchors and tacks.
Arthroscopic knot tying is commonly practiced in shoulder rotator cuff and instability procedures. Typically, an anchor loaded with suture is attached to bone first. The suture is normally slidably attached to the anchor through an eyelet or around a post, such that a single length of suture has two free limbs. One limb of the suture is passed through soft tissue to be repaired such as a tendon or labrum. The two ends of the suture are then tied to each other, thereby capturing the soft tissue in a loop with the anchor. Upon tightening the loop, the soft tissue is approximated to the bone via the anchor.
Surgeons typically tie the suture ends by first placing a surgical sliding knot such as the Tennessee Slider or Duncan Knot. After tightening the loop, a number of additional half hitches or other knots are tied. The additional knots are needed because a conventional sliding knot does not provide the necessary protection against loosening or slippage, especially when tension is placed primarily on the limbs of the loop. Generally accepted practice is to follow the sliding knot with at least three reversed half hitches on alternating posts of the suture.
Before one or more half hitches or other knots can be added to the sliding knot, however, there exists a potential for the sliding knot to slip, that is, for the loop to enlarge as the tissue places tension on the loop. This has been referred to as “loop security” and can reportedly occur even in the hands of very experienced surgeons. Sometimes, even knots may slip. Further, the overall size of a conventional knot can be obstructive or intrusive, especially in tight joints, which may damage cartilage or other tissue by abrasion with the knot.
Suture anchor systems with sliding and locking knots for repairing torn or damaged tissue include U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,037 by Wenstrom, Jr. Other suture anchor systems suited especially for meniscal repair are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,332 by Selvitelli et al. and are utilized in the OmniSpan™ meniscal repair system commercially available from DePuy Mitek Inc., 325 Paramount Drive, Raynham, Mass. 02767.
There are a number of suture implant systems which proclaim to be “knotless”, that is, to not require a surgeon to tie a knot during surgery. Many such systems control tension on tissue by the depth to which an anchor is driven into bone. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,864 and 7,381,213 by Lizardi disclose certain types of suture anchors which capture a fixed-length loop of suture. Adjustable loop knotless anchor assemblies utilizing an anchor element inserted into a sleeve are described by Thal in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,569,306 and 6,045,574 and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0138042. Other systems having clamps or other locking mechanisms include U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,397 by Goble et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0091237 by Schwartz et al.
It is therefore desirable to have robust yet adjustable fixation of tissue while minimizing both the number and size of knots to be tied by a surgeon, especially during arthroscopic repair procedures.